Most debit & credit cards add a 3% load to the perfect rates the banks get, meaning £100 of euros costs you £103. All these cards are load-free worldwide, so you get untouchably good rates in every country, every time. Set up a direct debit to repay IN FULL to minimise interest. Full info in Cheap Travel Cards.

Are they easy to get? Use our eligibility checker to find which card you've the best chance of getting.

TravelMoneyMax.com is part of MoneySavingExpert.com, a website is based on journalistic research. It does not constitute financial advice. Any information should be considered in regard to specific circumstances. All tips are followed at your own risk and should be followed up with your own research.

Bureaux are included based on their competitive online rates and feedback. Yet there is little regulation of foreign exchange bureaux and this site can't take any responsibility for problems that occur. Please be careful before you part with your money.

We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned (how likely they are to go bust), but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late.

Small local specialists can beat online rates, yet it's rare. Try areas with many overseas visitors e.g. Bayswater. If you spot another competitive online provider that you think merits inclusion, let us know.

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The amount of time you have between now and when you go abroad changes the options we can give you for the cheapest way to get holiday money.

The top specialist credit cards thrash bureaux de change on price, but you need to allow 1-3 weeks to get one, so they're no good for anyone travelling in the next week.

Don't wait until the airport to change cash, you get hideous rates

You're a captive customer at an airport or ferry terminal, so you'll probably be lumbered with the worst rates possible.

If you must get it from the airport, pre-order for pick-up to get a better rate (usually possible until four hours beforehand). Use the search on the left, selecting 'Airport pickup', and this will list the providers that allow you to do this.

WARNING! Are you sure you want to buy this far ahead?

We just wanted to ensure you were aware of the impact of what you're doing before buying this far ahead.

You are currency speculating. By buying at today's rates for a decent time ahead, you are in effect taking a gamble on currency rate moves. In other words if the pound gets weaker you would gain by buying now, if it gets stronger you lose.

Beware letting the bureaux hold your money. When buying this far ahead of a trip, always check whether the bureaux de change is going to send you the cash straight away. If it isn't you are taking a risk.

There is very little protection with bureaux de change transactions. For example if it went bust while it was holding your money, you are unlikely to get that cash back - so the longer it's holding your money for, the bigger the risk. Find out more about bureaux de change protection

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WARNING! This tool was not designed for large amounts of cash

We have built this focused on travel money for holidays, not larger transactions. The warnings and info given here is tailored for that. If you are planning to change larger amounts it's important to be aware...

There's no protection system. If a bureau went bust while it was holding your money, you're unlikely to get that cash back, so the longer they have it, the bigger the risk. Find out more about bureau de change protection

There are cheaper ways to send money abroad. Bureaux are not necessarily the cheapest or safest way to do it. You'll be better opting for a specialist exchange broker who can offer the best rates on larger amounts. Full info in the Sending Money Abroad guide.

We provide the information below if you choose to continue, for the sake of rate comparison only...

Some smaller travel money delivery firms ask you to pay by cash, cheque or bank transfer rather than using a card for payment. Before you do this it's important to remember these companies don't have any form of compensation scheme. So if one of them goes bust with your cash, you're on your own.

Yet when you make a payment by debit or credit card, you have more chance of getting your money back if the company you're paying goes bust, than just sending them the cash. Also, it's likely the currency provider will have your dough for a shorter period, decreasing any risk.

While this is untested for travel money transactions, it at least means you have a potential secondary route (your card provider) to getting your money back. These rules apply.

Credit cards - Section 75: This law means your credit card is jointly liable for anything you buy on it over £100. So if there's a problem or the company goes bust, you can still get your money back from your credit card provider.

This isn't the lender being nice, it's a legal protection . It's in place so that never in the position of paying debt for something you didn't receive or wasn't as it should've been. There is a worry 'cash' transactions aren't covered - the Ombudsman says it thinks foreign currency would be OK, but again it's important to understand that it hasn't been tested.

Some debit cards - Visa chargeback: If you pay on a Visa debit or Electron card, or Visa credit card under £100 (otherwise go for Section 75), then the Visa chargeback system means you can ask your bank to try to get the money back off the company's bank.

However, this is part of Visa's internal rules and not a legal requirement, so can't be 100% relied upon.

For further information on these protections, and their limitations, plus how to make a claim through them, read the full Visa Chargeback & Section 75 guide.

Bureaux de change are NOT protected

If you use a bureau de change to exchange cash, and it goes bust while it has your money, you have no protection. This is why we warn against using these firms to buy money a long time in advance. This even means there's a slight risk in using delivery options - handing over your pile of cash in return for theirs is the safest route.

There are a couple of different levels of regulation for bureaux, but the golden rule is:

If ANY bureau goes bust when it has your money, you're NOT protected. Don't let it hold your cash for any longer than needed.

Usually this isn’t a problem, but on rare occasions it can be and there’s little recourse. For this reason, we reiterate this is a ‘travel money’ tool for small holiday transactions. It's not a tool for sending large amounts abroad (eg, for buying a house) &dash; see Sending Money Overseas for that.

What does it mean if the bureau is FCA-authorised?

Bureaux de change don’t have to be registered with the regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) , because they are not viewed as providing a payment service - instead the business is simply seen as selling you goods (foreign cash) in the same way corner shops sell tins of baked beans (we’ve lobbied for this to be changed).

What advantages does FCA authorisation give?

Companies with this level of regulation for payment services have to meet specific 'capital requirements'. Basically their money and assets will have to be set up in a certain way, so they'll have been checked out a little more. Firms also must provide all customers with specific info about transactions, applicable charges and how to complain - find out more.

Banks, building societies, the Post Office and certain other public bodies can operate in this market without explicit authorisation, as the FCA already supervises them more closely for other aspects of their business. Indeed, these big trusted brands are probably a less risky option than a smaller bureau de change.

What about the other types of regulation ?

Some smaller firms are FCA-registered, rather than authorised. They must disclose the same information to customers, but don't have to meet the same solvency criteria as if they were authorised. So this level of regulation's far weaker.

What companies are included in this tool?

As well as being at least FCA-authorised, all the companies in the TravelMoneyMax tool are registered with HM Revenue and Customs under the Money Laundering Regulations. Firms must have certain controls to prevent them being used for money laundering by criminals and terrorists. For full details, read HMRC's guide.

Though again, we stress, that still doesn’t mean you have any protection from them going bust and we don't check for firms' solvency when we include them in results, it’s just an automated list.

Representative APR

Where credit cards or loans use a representative APR, this means that 51% of successful applicants will be given the stated interest rate.

Credit Cards

With credit cards, the rate for purchases (as opposed to balance transfers or cash withdrawals) is used as the main rate to advertise the card.

So if that is described as 19.9% representative APR, then 51% of people accepted will get 19.9% APR, but 49% will get a different rate (likely to be higher).

Personal Loans

Loans are slightly simpler as they only have one rate. So if a loan is advertised as being 7.5% representative APR, this means 51% of accepted applicants will get 7.5%, and 49% will get a different rate (likely to be higher).

Of course, some people will be rejected outright for the card or loan too.

Where credit cards or loans use a representative APR, this means that 51% of successful applicants will be given the stated interest rate.

Credit Cards

With credit cards, the rate for purchases (as opposed to balance transfers or cash withdrawals) is used as the main rate to advertise the card.

So if that is described as 19.9% representative APR, then 51% of people accepted will get 19.9% APR, but 49% will get a different rate (likely to be higher).

Personal Loans

Loans are slightly simpler as they only have one rate. So if a loan is advertised as being 7.5% representative APR, this means 51% of accepted applicants will get 7.5%, and 49% will get a different rate (likely to be higher).

Of course, some people will be rejected outright for the card or loan too.